I am a citizen of this planet, who believes there is a purpose and mission to our existence. I pursue that mission and try to enjoy every lesson, every day, and every last drop of the pain and joy we drink when we live. I live a mostly regret-free life, with each failure quickly becoming a valuable experience and something to laugh about, and every success something about which to be thankful and celebrative. I do all of this in and around my beloved Berkeley, California.

9/14/2007

Maz Jobrani, The Iranian Comedian

Maz Jobrani signs his DVD for me.

This post is for one of my readers, Pardis, who has had a long week, full of bad news and depressing events.

My friend, Dr. Jaleh Pirnazar, who is a lecturer of Farsi literature at University of California at Berkeley, took me to see the Iranian comedian, Maz Jobrani in San Francisco's Punchline Comedy Club earlier this month. Maziar Jobrani had been her student in Berkeley, and had invited her to come see his performance. I was honored to be asked along. Maz Jobrani is a fantastic comedian. A very funny man, full of life and an interesting perspective on American life and politics. I believe his efforts in trying to promote understanding and to present Iranians as they are, completely different from the violent and angry portrayal we tend to receive in the media these days, are remarkable. Take a look at this video clip and you will see for yourself. I know that many people can't go to Youtube from Iran. You can watch a funny clip of one of his acts on his website, which I hope is still accessible. Once you get to his websit, click on the picture of the nose in the middle! You will see him on the Jay Leno show, promoting his show, "Axis of Evil." I hope it will bring a smile to your face.

4 comments:

Nazy janMaz is very talented indeed. His jokes are hilarious; They are not only for people who are familiar with Iran and its image but also for average Americans who don't follow the more intellectual media.

Nazy jan,Many thanks for your post. You made my day and you sure did bring a smile to my face. Maz Jobrani is so funny :)). Whew! A post with my name... You are so nice, caring and incredible.I feel much better,thank you, just need a little bit more time for a new and energetic start.

Tameshk Jan: Salam. Yes, he is, and what a kind and warm guy he is, too. Sorry for showing off, but we were sitting at "Maz's Table" as Punchline people told us! There were other really interesting people sharing the table with us, including Maz's high school friends (he was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area). Yes, if a comedian is invited to go to Jay Leno Show, he is most likely deemed "appropriate" for the average audience in America.

There are other Iranian comedians such as Peivand Khorsandi (his blog is called Soul Bean Cafe and I have a link to it in my blog), whom I have met and whose performance I have attended. I find him to be a very intelligent young man. Peivand and his sister, Shaparak are Hadi Khorsandi's son and daughter and have become very successful stand-up comedians in their own rights. Maz's appeal, however, is fairly far-reaching in the US. He is also an actor and has had roles in a number of movies and television series. I find his love for Iran terribly touching.

Did you see the other video clips of his performances in Youtube? The man is hilarious! He is married to an Indian woman, a lawyer, who was also raised in the U.S. His jokes about their Iranian-Indian marriage were some of the funniest things I have ever heard!